53rd Venice Biennale Day 6
Oct 12 2009
Day 6 Thursday 9/24 Collateral Exhibitions and National Pavilions in San Marco/Castello and the Island of San Servolo
First thing in the morning, I targetted national pavilions in San Marco district. During evening walks we had seen signs pointing to Portugal, Iran, Cyprus, Estonia, Slovenia and Luxemburg. Part of the joy of the Biennale and the non-Giardini national pavilions is that they are based in sites across the city; often in obscure buildings that are not usually open to the public. Portugal was sited in delightful single level space Fondaco del L’Arte on the Grand Canal. Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air a video work by Joao Maria Gusmao and Pedro Pavia (title taken from Joseph Priestely's book on the discovery of oxygen), was impressively dark, finishing with flourish as the visitor emerges out onto the Grand Canal to take the final kind of air, the sea air of the lagoon. Both Cyprus and Iran (at the Palazzo Mailpiero) were disappointing; is was interesting to contrast the superb presentation of Iranian work in the East/West Divan exhibition (see day 8) with this government sponsored sculpture. Similarly with Luxembourg and Collision Zone, ostensivly about the permenable boarders of Europe but more like a doomy warning of alien invasion.
Estonia won points for engaging me in conversation and giving me a free catalogue (tip to biennale visitors; no-one wants to cart this stuff back their home countries; it’s always worth asking after a free publication!). After War, by Kristina Norma, was an extensive project based around the displacement of the Russian war memorial in Tallinin, and it’s effect on the Russian population; a crucial inversion of the usual dynamic of oppression that read better in the publication that it did in the scupture or video documentation.
Then via vaparetto to San Zaccaria to catch another vaparetto over to the Isle of San Servolo, ex-Benedictine monastery and mental hospital, now home to the Venice International University. This was an idyllic setting for Mercury House One_Save the Poetry, a collaborative spoken word and architecture piece, that was, unfortunately closed at our visit. The structure was a familiar pod, and is was a shame not be able to experience the language componant of this project.
Walking through the gardens of the monastery, we also came across a part of Open 12 , an annual exhibition of contemporary sculpture which is organized parallel to the Venice Film Festival and funded (and this slight rivalry between the City Council and The Biennale becomes a theme) funded by Venice City Council, and organised by Arte Communications, who also run a series of the Biennale collatoral events.
The exhibit on San Servolo were students from the Art School in Bologne (Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologne), so the work was a little unformed and struggled within the lush surroundings of the Island; the work of professional sculptures was out on the Lido, and we would see that on our final day. San Marino had it’s out here too, but like other smaller sates fell into the trap of a self-important travelogue.
Bus back to Zaccaria, and walk further over into San Marco district. We stooped in at the Taiwan Pavillion, which had been recommended (Arte Communications again), at the Palazzo delle Prigioni, atop the Doge’s Prison. Foreign Affairs - Artists From Taiwan: This was a surprising show; with an emphasis on the foreign (ie non-chinese) that was really quite unsettling.
Through the crush of St Mark’s Square: I wanted to see the Byzantine Tetrarchs at the corner of the Basilica. In the 15 years I’ve been coming to Venice this was the first time that they’ve been out of scaffolding…! By the Bridge of Sighs, visited the wonderful cloister of St Appolina, one of the most serene spots in Venice, and now protected as part of the Diocesan Musem Of Venice. The Museum contains works of from Venetian churches that no longer can be housed in those churches, but also was showing a marvelous exhibition commemorating 1000 years of the basilica at Torcello (see day 5), and the late-antique and romanesque art from the basilica. Beautiful exhibition, and quite the style of show that I miss living in the US.
We walked up through the centre of the city, into the Castello, aim for the Querini Stampalia and Croatia. The Croatian pavilion was also closed, but were able to move onto Martin Boyce; a superb installation No Reflections at the Palazzo Pisani. This was a work of pure sculpture taking it’s cure directly from Venice, The palazzo and the architecture of Carlo Scarpa at the Querini Stampalia. So refreshing to see work of formal care and beauty in a national pavilion that did feel the need to talk about an aspect of nationality. Covering also Create and Change, another Taiwanese exhibition organised by Arte Communications, we ended up with a cappuccino in the Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo admiring the great statue of the mercenary captain Bartolomeo Colleoni by Verrocchio.
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